Between a rock

... and a hard place.  Hobson's choice.  Between Scylla and Charybdis..

“In the artist of all kinds one can detect an inherent dilema which belongs to the co-existence of two trends; the urgent need to communicate and the still more urgent need not to be found." - D.W. Winnicott

But not just artists, I think we all need both to communicate and to hide.  Else why would getting to know each other by lurking, keeping track of a journal before commenting or subcribing, be such a seductive pleasure?  Why else would there be uproar when Blip Central limited access to ten page views before requiring sign-up?  I was heartbroken  when that happened.

But now we have Protected Journals which feel to me like a slap in the face when I run across one.  For all I know all the journals I subscribe to might now be protected.  I’m guessing I’d have to unsubscribe then attempt to follow again to find out.  I find myself reluctant to engage in conversation on a closed journal.

My troubling about rocks and hard places coincides with the vast (I’m guessing) expansion of numbers on Blip, certainly they’ve increased exponentially in the six years since I joined, with the in your face livery, with the prominence of the About page/Profile - and with the loss of a sense of a very special community, that feels, at the very least, diluted by all the changes.

I’ve changed my About page/profile to reflect my current unease, removed the direct link to my blog, made the blog itself password protected after some well-intentioned but anonymous person promoted it on other social networks.   I liked being known more deeply, I trust my Blipfriends, many of whom I have gotten to know here over a long period of time.   Building trust, building a sense of community through sharing what we love, through mutuality, kindness and respect.  

As ever I have more questions than answers.  I feel a need for some filtering in the brave new world Blip is becoming.  There’s an interesting thread over on the Zendesk (if you can bear it) suggesting more nuanced filters [for example having the option to make the About/Profile page less prominent, perhaps accessible only to subscribers].  I feel there needs to be something that's less of a blunt instrument than the Protected Posts option, to maintain some of the spirit of openess that was the hallmark of Blip.  It feels a bit all or nothing now.  

I’ve attempted to invite everyone who was subscribed, and Blipfriends who have expressed an interest, to view the blog.  I apologise if I’ve missed you out, admin is not one of my strong points.  Please drop me a line at my email address [now on my About/Profile page] identifying yourself by your journal or Blipname and I’ll send you info about accessing the blog.  I’m so sorry that it has come to this, I’d far rather Blippers were able to access it freely and anonymously, just like our journals.  But that’s not an option now as I’m simply unable to write so candidly to the world-wide web.

Honestly I’ve had moments in the last few days of feeling, “If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you.”  Ultimately you have to laugh, once the tears have dried.  Storm in a teacup, life goes on.  More guardedly than before.  Back to writing tomorrow - finally.  Hurrah!